.hack, Part 4: Quarantine

by Bandai

Product Features

• Bring your saved data over from Part 3 and hit the ground running in Part 4 with your leveled up characters and items
• Encounter and trade with your favorite. hack/SIGN characters
• Use the highest level skills and the most powerful equipment for the toughest and most exciting battles yet
• Improved AI programming allows advanced Chat Commands and battle tactics
• Play the ultimate game of tag to defeat the Golden Goblins

Product Details

• Shipping: This item is also available for shipping to select countries outside the U.S.
• ASIN: B000094M47
• Product Dimensions: 7.2 x 5.2 x 0.8 inches ; 6.1 ounces
• Media: Video Game
• Release Date: January 5, 2004
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (32 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #9,780 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)
  • #42 in Video Games > PlayStation 2 > Role-Playing
• Discontinued by manufacturer: Yes

Product Description

Game Informer Review

To be blunt, those of you who have watched the show, re-watched the DVDs, and played through the first three chapters in this saga will buy this game no matter what I have to say about it. I don't blame you for doing so. If I had put in the 200-plus hours required to get all there is to get out of "The World's" world, I would do exactly the same – you owe it to yourselves to finish the task and find out what happens.

But, as is surely no surprise to anyone, there isn't anything in this final chapter that will convince those who have held out thus far to start up the journey. Surely, the pace of this game is quicker and more to the point than the earlier ones, but it still has the same problems as volumes one through three. Namely, camera controls that weren't acceptable with the first release, sub-par graphics, and dialogue that's more stilted than an episode of All My Children with "the part of Mercedes will be played by…" people filling in every one of the roles.

I want to give this game bonus points for being an interesting experiment. Personally, I don't think that it was entirely successful, but it was one that was worth trying. Hopefully, down the line, someone else can give us a similarly high-concept RPG with a little more meat on its bones.

Concept:
Finish the four-part saga started in February by tying up all the loose plot threads

Graphics:
Same as in earlier entries, which in my opinion, means that they aren't that great

Sound:
Has no one in this game gone through puberty? The voice acting makes everyone sound like they're eight years old

Playability:
Same icky camera, same somewhat uncomfortable menu structure

Entertainment:
For those who have kept up, this game is a given

Replay:
Moderately Low

Rated: 7.5 out of 10
Editor: Lisa Mason
Issue: February 2004

2nd Opinion:
Inventive dialogue. Intuitive gameplay. Acceptable graphics. The fourth and final installment in the Dot Hack series has none of these things. But, if you've played the first three, you aren't going to wise up and call it quits now, so while you're enjoying the thrilling conclusion, I'll be over here, doing fun things.

Rated: 6.5 out of 10
Editor: Joe Juba


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Product Description

In this, the final episode in the HACK saga, play as the outlaw player Kite to finally unravel the mystery behind "The World". And this time it's against the clock! As events in "The World" continue to create havoc in the real world, CC Corp faces increasing pressure to move the game servers offline meaning certain death for all comatose victims. It's up to you now. Can you cure this virus and restore order in "The World?" And can you do it before time runs out for your friend, Orca? Find secret areas from the OVA to obtain rare items Simulated MMORPG Dual Voiceover - Choose either English or Japanese for a totally immersive experience

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

22 of 24 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Riding Off Into The Virtual Sunset, March 2, 2004

By 

Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™" (Warren, MI USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (HALL OF FAME REVIEWER)   

This review is from: .hack, Part 4: Quarantine (Video Game)

For dedicated dot hackers, the easiest way to describe the fourth and last chapter of this game is 'more or the same.' Once more Kite adventures into the many fields and dungeons of 'The World' seeking loot, experience, and trying to safe the world (the real world) from a virus gone out of control. This time, though, all the loose threads are drawn together, answers are provided, and the glow of a new day restores the shine to the gaming world.

If you are new to the game, you are likely to find Quarantine a bit difficult to play and confusing to understand. While it can be done, I think a very large part of the series' charm is the slow, game-by-game, building of character and story. With the earlier games now available at discounted prices the best strategy is to start at the beginning and work forward. Do not, however, try to play the games one right after another. Spread out, their similarity doesn't interfere with enjoyment. Taken all at once, it is quite possible to overdose on grunties.

If you have been following the series than expect no great surprises. Well, there are one or two, but for the most part everything is a natural progression from the previous games. While the plot undertakes some interesting twists, gameplay is pretty much a matter of bigger and badder. If you have been religiously leveling up in prior episodes then Quarantine will feel a bit too easy. If you have been getting through by the skin of your teeth then there will be some tough fights ahead.

I felt that Quarantine was a little too short, and not as spectacular as I expected. There is provision for playing after the game is complete, including an item challenge, and some familiar characters will suddenly become available. Unfortunately quarantine features a smaller set of monsters. Most often data bug variations of ones you have already seen. There is a little voice in my head that keeps telling me that Bandai would have been better off packaging this game in three episodes rather than four.

Of course, that means they would have had to find another way to deliver the Liminality OVAs. This last episode is excellent, providing a lot of information on the nature of the.hack world as well as an exciting conclusion. We see both the outside and the inside of The World in one tidy package. In retrospect, the game is the weakest link in the entire marketing package (I'm not completely sure about the manga either), simply because Bandai chose to leave it unchanged for four episodes. However, many of the concepts behind the .hack package are quite novel, even if a bit overplayed. This, it is an entertaining (if somewhat expense) way to spend a lot of hours with your Playstation 2.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars .hack quarantine, February 2, 2010

By 

April S. Gray "bookseller goddess" (bakersfield, ca) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: .hack, Part 4: Quarantine (Video Game)

definitely a fun series. any rpg fan will like it i think. the dungeons are a tad repetitive, but they're good dungeons, so its not so bad. good storyline, good characters (Gardenia is my favorite), nice graphics, decent music & voice acting, & no endless leveling up before you can move on. one word of caution: you definitely want to have played the previous 3 games before playing this one. a great, well-balanced rpg.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best RPG, July 10, 2005

By 

Jesse Moua - See all my reviews

= Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: .hack, Part 4: Quarantine (Video Game)

This game is great when I play it! The story were awsome. I reccommend it for people who have play part 1 to 3. If you just get this game without playing the previous parts then it will not be that fun and become confusing. I love the game and every time I play it I felt like I really was online. Probably the best RPG games I play.